Navigating the Cybersecurity Career Path

CHAPTER 16How Do I Manage Security Strategically?

Summary

• Know your company: Be aware of the industry or industries you are working in and the nature of the business.
• Know yourself: What is your mandate for success, and how much time do you have?
• Create a plan: Consider regulations, threats, business objectives, and budgets. Don't forget training and communications.
• Network: Validate your plans with your immediate team and company stakeholders.
• Stay curious: Revisit your strategy often and course-correct as things change.
• Communicate well and often: Measure your progress, and be prepared to discuss your strategy with everyone constantly.

Strategy and strategic planning are the core work of any leader. A strategist must decide what activities the team or organization is going to focus on, to support the desired outcome of the business. It might seem obvious, but when you're leading a security team, you have to have some intentionality about what you're doing regardless of your title. A security leader who operates without a strategic plan will be forever buffeted by the issues and firefights of the day. Your team won't be able to follow, your partners will be driven crazy with shifting demands, and your organizational leadership will fire you. So, one of the first tasks in your leadership role is to create a proactive strategy. When you start as a security leader, you will owe it to yourself, your team, and your stakeholders, to plant a strategic flag in the ground ...